Joe Pavelski at $6 million annually for five seasons is a fair deal. Whether it works out for the San Jose Sharks? We'll see.

Pavelski, a solid two-way center who turned 29 in July, is signed through 2019 for a total of $30 million, according to ESPN's Craig Custance. He had 31 points (16 goals, 15 assists) last season in 48 games and has been a solid playoff performer the last few years. San Jose lost in the Western Conference semifinals last season.

Compare that to the deal LA Kings captain Dustin Brown signed earlier this month, which was widely acclaimed as being team-friendly. Both are starting their 29-year-old seasons. Brown is signed for a slightly smaller cap hit ($5.75 million) for three more seasons and, save for his ability to draw penalties, is a tick behind Pavelski across the board—he scores less, possesses the puck less and plays against weaker competition. As Fear the Fin noted when Brown signed his deal, Pavelski should've asked for a little more, and he got it. He's also not signed through age 37, like Brown.

And, as always, we need to keep in mind that the cap, for the foreseeable future, will continue to rise. A $6 million player in 2015 is not going to be the same as a $6 million player in 2010. Brown and Pavelski both will fit the bill.

"It's always exciting when a franchise puts that responsibility on you a little bit," Pavelski said. "It's important to continue to play at a high level in that regard. It's a position I wanted to be in, and it's exciting to have this opportunity."

The issue, if there is one, is that the Sharks don't necessarily project as a cap team moving forward. They've chosen to build around Pavelski and Logan Couture ($6 million through 2019), which is fine. Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and Dan Boyle are all on track to become unrestricted free agents after the season, which will free up about $22 million. Marleau, 33, is the youngest of the three, and it's a virtual guarantee that San Jose won't dedicate that amount of money to them moving forward. What they do then will set the course for the franchise—not extending Pavelski.

GM Doug Wilson said Tuesday that Couture and Pavelski were priorities because of their age.

"(Pavelski) a hockey player," Wilson said. "We use him on the point on the power play, we use him on the first line, we use him on key faceoffs, blocking shots. He won a national championship in college for a reason. He's a winner. He's a great role model for many of our other players who are home-grown. The way he plays the game, it's not about stats, even though his stats are very impressive. It's about what you can do to make a difference to win a game.